Chapter 27 Part 2: Jin

A faint scent of medicine.

A warm breeze.

A soft blanket covering my entire body.

When I woke up, I felt doubtful about the unfamiliar bed I was sleeping in.

The blanket I was covered with had a design that felt quite different from the blanket Amy used to cover me with.

It wasn’t a pretty flower pattern.

The plain, plain-colored blanket fell off my body.

“Are you awake?”

The soft voice made the listener let down their guard.

“Who are you?”

When I turned my head, an old man with white hair was sitting there.

He was drinking coffee and laughing pleasantly, and slowly opened his mouth.

“Call me Ravin.”

“Ravin?”

“Yes. That’s my name.”

I nodded and looked around.

The pure white space.

It felt stuffy, but the clean image was more intense.

I looked at the humidifier on the small table emitting white steam and asked Ravin.

“What about Shine?”

Ravin got up from his seat at my question and came over to my bed.

With his easy gait and relaxed behavior, I could not read any hostility in his movements.

He approached the seat next to my bed and reached out to pull away the white curtain that had fallen next to him.

The curtain slid open with a squeak.

Shine was lying on the large bed, sleeping with a relaxed face.

The faint smile on her lips softened her mood.

“Why were we sleeping here?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Huh?”

“I guess you haven’t slept much lately. Amy brought you all in when you suddenly collapsed.”

Was she lacking sleep?

I nodded absentmindedly.

“Then. Where did Amy go?”

“Amy?”

Ravin looked around the white room at my question.

He stroked his beard and answered slowly.

“Until a little while ago… She was there…”

Judging from the way his words trailed off, it seemed like he also didn’t know where Amy had disappeared to.

I jumped down from my seat.

My whole body felt refreshed as if I had just woken up from a good night’s sleep, so there were no restrictions on my movements.

Small feet step on the cold marble floor.

Knock knock-

I tap the floor with my toes.

“What about my shoes?”

“They’re under there.”

At Ravin’s words, I lower my head under the bed.

At the same time, my white hair falls down.

I tidy up my hair and take out my shoes and put them on.

“My hat is gone too.”

I said, stroking my empty head.

As I looked up at Ravin, biting my lips, he raised his hand and pointed to the small table next to the bed.

I quickly ran to the table.

When I looked up, there was a large witch’s hat that Amy had given me as a gift.

“Ah.”

I stretched out my hand, but I couldn’t reach it.

My flapping hands dispersed the air that I couldn’t catch.

I closed my eyes tightly and lifted my toes.

My body stretched out, as if I were a cat, and I desperately stretched out my hand.

But I’m not a cat.

I can’t stretch out my body.

Ravin, who was watching me, flapping my hands and jumping on the floor, slowly walked over and took my hat off.

As soon as I received the hat, I pulled it down on my head.

“Thank you.”

The wide-brimmed hat restricted my view.

Objects located high up immediately disappeared from my sight.

It was the same with Ravin’s expression.

I looked around with my hat pulled down.

The structure of the white room that I could see with my short height was different from before.

“Is this a hospital?”

“I guess so.”

I lift the brim of my hat and look at Ravin’s expression.

He just watches me with interest.

I crawl back into bed.

Although it was soft, the bed where I slept with Amy was better.

The fragrant scent of flowers was better than the smell of medicine.

“Should I wait here for Amy?”

“Wouldn’t that be better?”

I shook my short legs.

My gaze turned to the small door at the end of the room.

There was no window here either.

“Did Amy bring us here?”

I recalled Ravin’s words, searching through my hazy memories.

The last scene was definitely a PC room.

I think I saw a funny video.

“That’s right. She came running with a deep thought.”

Ravin said with a small smile as he thought back to that time.

“It seems she cares for you all very much.”

“Us?”

I shifted my gaze to Shine.

“Yes.”

I nodded to Ravin’s words.

When I think about it, she paid a lot of attention to us.

What kind of presence did we have to her?

I caressed my cheek with complicated feelings.

My soft cheek swelled here and there, confusing my gaze.

Click

At that moment, I heard the sound of the closed doorknob turning.

My gaze turned to that side.

I felt a familiar presence.

I immediately jumped out of bed.

“Amy!”

The door opened as soon as my voice flowed out.

Amy was standing there holding a basket of fruit.

“Jeff?”

“Amy!”

I ran to her.

My short legs moved quickly, thumping.

Between my gazes shaking here and there, Amy bent her knees and opened her arms to me.

Huh?

The question that had briefly occurred to me disappeared immediately.

My body ran straight to Amy’s arms.

The refreshing and sweet body scent that hit me calmed my anxiety.

Amy hugged my body tightly and got up from her seat.

Her gaze rose in an instant.

I hugged Amy’s neck.

Huh?

Huh?

“Jeff, are you okay now?”

Amy’s worried words.

Her gaze turned to me.

My heart melted at the warm gaze that showed deep affection.

I release my strength from her arms with a trembling gesture.

“Ugh…”

I avoid Amy’s gaze and lower my head.

I press my large witch hat down hard and bury my head in her arms.

Amy slowly stroked my back.

“The kids seem to rely on you a lot.”

“Are the kids okay?”

“How many times do you ask? They’re just sleep deprived.”

“They’re getting enough sleep.”

Amy refutes Ravin’s words and walks toward the bed.

She takes out an apple from the fruit basket she’s holding and throws it to Ravin.

“Just this one?”

“The rest are for the kids.”

“Okay, I get it. The old man in the back room should be quiet.”

Ravin clicked his tongue and sat down on the large chair to take a bite of the apple.

“Did you miss me that much?”

I couldn’t raise my head at Amy’s voice mixed with laughter.

I couldn’t understand why I did that either.

She put me down on the bed and placed the fruit basket she was holding on the small table.

“Shine hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Yes.”

“You must be very tired.”

Amy took a banana out of the fruit basket and handed it to me.

I took the banana she handed me and peeled it.

The white flesh was revealed and my mouth started to water.

“Maybe it’s because I worked so hard on the math problems?”

“Really…?”

Amy’s voice trembled slightly at my words.

I took off my witch hat and studied her expression.

After hearing what I said, she became deep in thought with a serious expression.

“It was too… too… difficult, I think…”

I cautiously added my opinion.

I looked at Amy’s face with a slightly examining gaze.

She slowly nodded at my words.

“I see…”

Okay. It’s all over.

I happily stuffed my mouth with bananas.

I was smiling happily at the sweetness filling my mouth, but then I felt sad at Amy’s next words.

“Then I guess I’ll have to add nap time.”

How did I come to that conclusion?

I shook my head while chewing on the bananas in my mouth.

“You think so too?”

No, no. That’s not it.

“No?”

I nodded vigorously.

But Amy shook her head firmly.

“No. That seems right.”

“Ah… I don’t think that’s right…”

I swallowed all the bananas that were in my mouth and spoke carefully.

But she didn’t even pretend to hear me.

“I’m going to add nap time to your schedule from now on.”

The day was too short.

I went to bed too early to watch late-night TV programs.

If I had to take a nap, it would mean my day would be even shorter.

“No!”

“Why?”

“But… the day is too short.”

I said, wiggling my fingers.

The day was really too short.

When I woke up in the morning, I ate breakfast and came back to play with Shine.

When lunchtime came, I ate again.

After that, I trained with Victor.

Then I played with Shine.

Then I went back to my room and played with Shine again.

Then Amy would give me a tough ordeal.

She would hand me a thick workbook and wouldn’t let me play until I solved it all.

She wouldn’t know how hard it was.

And it took a lot of time.

“Math… If I don’t solve the math problems…I think it would be okay to take a nap…”

I tried to bring up the subject while watching her, but Amy shook her head firmly.

“No.”

I lowered my head at her words.

My heart ached for no reason.

I pulled the hat I had taken off down tightly on my head and threw the banana peel I was holding onto the floor.

“Jeff!”

I pretended not to hear Amy’s voice and covered myself with the blanket.

I rolled up and squirmed under the blanket.

“Amy?”

I heard a familiar voice at that moment.

It seemed like Shine had woken up.

But I couldn’t see it.

I squirmed and twisted my body.

Every time I did, my body’s movements became limited.

I was panting and squirming, but I was able to get my face out of the blanket.

“Jeff.”

Shine got up and said to me.

I smiled at her and spoke.

“Shine. Did you sleep well?”

“What are you doing?”

At her words, I lowered my gaze and examined my body.

It was quite embarrassing to see my face sticking out from under the blanket with only my face wrapped in it.

The tips of my ears were hot.

But I couldn’t move.

The rolled up blanket made it impossible for me to move.

“Help me. Amy….”

I twisted my body here and there, gasping for breath as I called out to Amy for help.

She looked down at me, sighed, and untied the blanket.